A familiar part of the game the Cardinals struggled with earlier this season arose from the ashes on Saturday night: turnovers.
Bowling Green (7-1, 3-0 MAC) defeated Ball State (3-4, 1-2 MAC), walking away with an 89-55 victory. 89 points are the most given up from the Cardinals this year. In addition, the 34 point deficit is the largest loss for Ball State this season. Here are four takeaways from the loss.
Not protecting the ball
The Cardinals finished with 29 turnovers, another season-high. Turnovers hurt their offensive rhythm, but more importantly, it gave Bowling Green plenty of easy baskets. The Falcons outscored Ball State by a 38-8 margin in the points off turnovers category.
Most of the turnovers could have prevented by being stronger with the ball. The Falcons rarely used full-court or half-court pressure, which led to the turnover total.
Brown picking up momentum
Senior forward Oshlynn Brown led the Cardinals, as the Preseason First-Team All Mid-American Conference notched her second straight game with a double-double. Brown scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, both team-highs.
This was the first game of the season Brown played without a cast or tape on her hand. Brown, who was sidelined earlier this season with a hand injury, is 100 percent.
Not enough offensive firepower
No other Cardinal was able to finish in double digits for the first time since opening night. The starting backcourt of Essence Booker and Sydney Freeman was the next closest, with nine points apiece.
The half-court offense took many tough shots and had some empty possessions. Ball State shot just 12-for-22 from the free-throw line (54.5 percent). The Cardinals had been impressive from the charity stripe all season before tonight.
Defending the perimeter
The Cardinals' defense had a rough time slowing down the Falcons, specifically from beyond the arc. Bowling Green shot 11-for-21 from three, including seven that came in the first half. Bowling Green was spearheaded by a trio of guards in the scoring column. Lexi Fleming (19), Nyla Hampton (18) and Madisen Parker (15) all hurt the Cardinals defense in the game.
Ivet Subirats missed the game with an ankle injury she suffered in practice. The freshman guard was averaging 4.3 points in 15.9 minutes per game coming into the night.
The Cardinals return to action Wednesday, Jan. 6, when they host Toledo. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Contact Charleston Bowles with comments at clbowles@bsu.edu or on Twitter @cbowles01
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